


The Tony Stark Halfway House For Those Currently Pretending To Be Dead

by rebelmeg



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Endgame Fix-It, F/M, Fake Character Death, Fluff and Humor, Male-Female Friendship, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-17 05:43:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21049262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelmeg/pseuds/rebelmeg
Summary: Phil's secret is finally out (well, more out than it already was), and he reunites with one of his favorite people.





	The Tony Stark Halfway House For Those Currently Pretending To Be Dead

**Author's Note:**

  * For [remreader](https://archiveofourown.org/users/remreader/gifts).

> For my Rem, based on a prompt she gave me like an age and a half ago, "Did you just hiss at me?" (Funny story, I started writing this drabble, forgot to stick with the prompt, and forgot where I was going once I remembered to use a prompt, and then had to figure out how to make a prompt fit again. Still can't remember if that was the prompt I was going with when I started writing it or not...)
> 
> Also, the coffee dates mentioned can be read about in this other fic of mine here: [SOS Coffee Date](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17882930)

Despite the fact that it had been quite a while since Phil Coulson had gotten in contact with her, and told her the truth about what had happened, he still felt a clench of nerves when he crossed the porch of the Stark lakeside cabin and saw Pepper Potts Stark waiting for him just inside the screen door.

“Welcome to the Tony Stark halfway house for those currently pretending to be dead.” Pepper intoned sarcastically as she opened the front door and gestured Phil into the house.

Phil couldn’t help but smile as he came in, and wondered what his chances would be if he went in for a hug. He’d missed a lot of people, in his half-successful attempt at unintentionally playing dead, but he’d missed Pepper more than most. “You get a lot of business here, I presume?”

Pepper rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek as she went in for the hug he’d been hesitating over. “Barnes and Bruce both show up at least once a month, Nat has been by every week, sometimes she brings Sam, Nebula and Rhodey practically live here, and at any given moment I have a pack of teenagers coming or going.”

Phil raised an eyebrow, “Teenagers?”

“Yep. Tony kind of accidentally collected/adopted a few proteges, and they brought friends.” Pepper’s eyes roamed over his face, taking in every detail. “I missed you. You jerk.”

Though he’d just had one, Phil went ahead and took another hug. “I missed you too. Can’t tell you how many times I could have used a coffee date.”

“Agent, you better be keeping your hands a looooong way north of my wife’s backside or I’ll throw you to the alpaca.”

Smiling as Pepper laughed and shook her head, Phil turned around to see Tony coming down the stairs with Morgan next to him, holding onto his red and gold prosthetic hand. 

“You know, I heard that you finally used my name, once upon a time.”

Tony rolled his eyes, the scarring on the right side of his face tugging slightly. “Yeah, well, you played dead, that downgrades you.” With a slight grunt of effort, he scooped Morgan into his arms, settling the six year old on his hip. “Little miss, I want you to keep a close eye on this squirrelly character while I go chase Gerald away from the garden, okay? This guy’s not to be trusted, he used to gossip about me with Mommy.”

Smothering a giggle behind her hand, Morgan nodded, her eyes that were so much like her father’s twinkling as he kissed her cheek and set her down. “I’ll watch him.”

As Tony passed Pepper and Phil on the way to the door, he kissed Pepper’s cheek with a loud smacking noise, then clapped Phil’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you. Glad you’re back.”

Phil nodded, still smiling, and decided then and there that if he ever got to the point where he had what this little family had, he’d never ask for anything more. “It’s good to be back.” 

“Come on,” Pepper gestured to the kitchen table, where two mugs and a plate of pastries was already set out. “Coffee’s on, and you owe me twelve years’ worth of gossip and listening to me whine.”

Phil couldn’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon. He was just about to go over to the table, when he glanced down at the six year old standing right in front of him, barring his way.

He smiled. “Hi there.”

Baring her teeth and putting her hands up like claws, Morgan hissed like a cat, then scrambled under the table, watching Phil with slightly narrowed eyes.

He glanced at Pepper, taken aback. “Did she just hiss at me?”

Pepper was chuckling as she grabbed the coffeepot. “We’re going through a cat phase right now. Be glad she didn’t try to bite you.”

Phil sent an apprehensive glance at the kid crouched under the table, still watching him as per her father's instructions. "I'm not convinced that she won't."


End file.
